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Chicago Rib House (Chinese New Year Menu) @ 1 Utama

1:04:00 PM

After so long, I'm finally back to food reviewing again. These past few weeks had been hectic and I do not have spare time to update some of the restaurants I've tried. However, my first post of 2014 will be dedicated to Chicago Rib House's Chinese New Year Menu, all thanks to Foodcult and Chicago Rib House. I would also like to remind some readers that this place is NON-HALAL as they serve PORK and ALCOHOL.

This time, I remembered to take the front entrance!

Porkalicious Joy Luck Set

Jade Empress - RM23.80/jug

We were served a cup of surprisingly addictive mocktail which comprises of green apple, cranberry syrup, cranberry juice, soda water, cinnamon powder and garnished with cubes of green apple and orange. That one element that made me wonder, "what the hell is that?", turns out to be the cinnamon powder. As odd as it may sound, it was really good.

Yee Sang - Complimentary with every set menu.

My first Yee Sang of the year, hopefully more to come! This plate of auspicious goodness was filled with premium ingredients. A mix of smoked Norwegian salmon (wish they had more, it was really juicy and good), fine shredded mango, carrots, red cabbage, white radish, cucumber, cilantro, spring onion, sesame seeds, crispy fish crackers and served with Chicago Rib House's special in-house Plum Sauce.

After tossing, mixing and making sure that they're well coated with the plum sauce, it was amazing. The smoked salmon was fresh and well, smokey. It was also a little salty. The crispy fish crackers; that gave crunch and additional flavour to every bite, completing the Yee Sang as a whole. Overall, I would say it was really good, especially for something complimentary.

Signature Platter - RM39.90 (ala carte)

A prosperous and well arranged plate of spare ribs, pork sausage, grilled fresh water prawns, grilled mussels, vegetable sticks and cheese dip. First and foremost, the pork sausages, they were thick, juicy and well flavoured. The grilled mussels with their special sauce was simply amazing. I couldn't tell what the sauce was but it did tasted pretty close to a bolognese-based sauce.

Furthermore, the spare ribs were juicy and tender. The meat comes off the bones immediately without much hassle. Sauce was great as well. The grilled prawns were really fresh and the sauce used for the prawns was the same sauce for the mussels. Last but not least, the cheese dip which is made from 3 different type of cheeses was great for vegetable sticks served.

Braised Pork Belly

I believe we were all stunned, along with our cornea and pupils enlarged when this was served. I personally thought this was the star of the meal if it wasn't for the ribs that comes later. Anyway, the pork belly was braised for at least 4 hours with Chicago Rib House's special sauce which is made from passion fruit, spices and wine. The outcome was a pork belly so soft and tender with the layer of fat literally melts in your mouth. The skin of the braised pork belly itself was also really crispy and the flavour was amazing. Overall, it was a mouth-gasmic experience.

Drunken Prawns (alcoholic) - RM68.80

Fresh Tiger Prawns steamed with white wine and flambeed with brandy right in front of us. As beautiful as it may look, I find the alcohol a little too much for me. Due to some reasons, the prawns I had was flambeed twice with Brandy. The results were juicy, tender but also had a really strong kick. Nevertheless, I ate 6 of the prawns in total.

Baby Back Ribs (Served with 2 side dishes)

Finally, the star of the meal and also the last dish served. 3 racks of tender, juicy, sweet and savory Baby Back Ribs grilled to perfection. With meat that falls off easily from its bones, it wasn't a hassle to devour into such heavenly goodness. I personally believe that the flavours were well absorbed by the meat, perhaps due to the marination period and the overall outcome was just great. This plate serves a total of 4 people, which confuses me because I could finish 2 rack on my own.

Beer Battered Fries (One of the sides)

An interesting way of making fries I believe but it was a little too dry for me. There were no ketchup or chili sauce available but if they did, it would be okay. The beer batter was crispy but subtle. Its a good thing since they did no overcome the taste of the potatoes. Overall, I wish that they gave some sauces to us, especially their in-house sauces.

Mashed Potatoes (One of the sides)

Smooth, rich and creamy mashed potatoes topped with cheese, spring onion and something red which I cannot identify. Nothing too fancy but everything was well made. I would personally choose this as one of my sides.

Baked Potato (One of the sides)

Similar to the mashed potatoes, same ingredients as well but with additional sour cream. It was well cooked throughout the whole potato, no cold or uncooked areas. However, the topping could only fill the surface or outer part of the potato. Once you go deeper, it started to go bland. More toppings and sour cream on the side may help. This will be my second choice of sides.

Coleslaw (One of the sides)

I do not know what to say, besides it being rather fresh and sufficient dressing. It was pretty normal as it does not stands out in anyway. It wasn't bad but it sure wasn't excellent.

Iced Latte

Last but not least, a cup of Iced Latter to end the meal. Smooth, creamy, rich and slightly sweet; a great end.

In conclusion, I believe most of the dishes served were really good and I would definitely return. My personal picks were the Braised Pork Belly and the Baby Back Ribs due to their immense flavour and tenderness. Last but not least, I would also like to thank Joann and Jenny from Foodcult for the invitation to Chicago Rib House; an amazing restaurant.

The Porkalicious Joy Luck Sets are available from 18th January to 14th February. Only the Signature Platter is available from the 9th of January as an ala-carte.

2 pax - RM88.80

4 pax - RM168.80

Each Porkalicious Joy Luck Sets comes with a complimentary Yee Sang, which can be seen at the beginning of this post. For those who love beer, Carlsberg Beer is also available by the jug at only RM38.80.

Furthermore, additional Ang Pow Dip will be given to customers for every order of Porkalicious Joy Luck Set. 2 pax customers are entitled to 1 lucky dip and 2 dips for every order for 4 pax. For ala-carte, 1 lucky dip will be given for every RM100 spent and 2 lucky dips for every RM200 spent. While stock last.